Hard to Shift into Forward
 

I am having trouble shifting from neutral to forward, stbd. side only. It goes into reverse easily, but for forward gear I have to push the shifter as far forward as I can, and it usually catches, sometitimes there is a 3 or 4 second delay before it hooks up. I just had the drive replaced on that side. Is there a simple adjustment for this? Help please.
Carder

Could be as simple as a cable adjustment which is most likely what it is. check with your merc mechanic. I went through this last year. 2nd. where did the drive come from? Is it a new or rebuilt Bravo? Many different gear sets were available in 99 for the bravo. Not all of them work perfectly. Need to make sure whoever rebuilt the drive new what they were doing. I had the same issue. Call Jim Simmons at Simmons Marine ( P4 racer, Bravo expert) he does my drive work. He can help you. Phone is 330-645-0145.


RAF

cable frayed
 

check out the cable that runs from the engine to the drive.i just had a drive put in my 27 and the cable rubbed aginst the engine-coupler and frayed.i could get into forward,but no nutral,or reverse.hope this helps.brad

If its a 3-4 second delay before the clutch locks up, and It had been working properly, it may the the shift cable.... But it sounds more like the upper gear sets getting ready to have major issues. Good luck.

I had the same problem on a brand new drive this spring. It would shift perfect on the trailer but in the water with a load on the prop it was as you described. Dealer call merc and they gave me another new drive, end of problem.

Did you try to shift it by hand at the engine linkage to see if it's a simple linkage adjustment? A simple 5 second check.

Thanks for the tips, I will see if I can shift at the engine, and try to check cables. Carder